Rib knitting machine



Sept. 22, 1970 H., H. GELBER ETAL RIB KNITTING MACHINE Original Filed May 24, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS.

HARRY H. G ELBER 1.55 5. GELBER $LIE- J. Hususs GEQRGE w. 665

ATTORNEYS H. H. GELBER 'ETAL. $529,442

Sept, 22, 1970 RIB KNITTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 8 Original Filed May 24, 1966 K H M l N M M M M I u wEN T 0 RS. HAR RY, H- GELBER ELSE E. G51. GER

Laura J. HUGHES GEORGE w. GEE qsmmga Q ArrORNEYS United States Patent 3,529,442 RIB KNITTING MACHINE Harry Harris Gelber and Else Elsa Gelber, both of 11 Bulkara Road, Bellevue Hill, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Leslie John Hughes, 21 Dixon St., Waverley, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; and George William Gee, 142 Nottinghill Road, Berala, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Original application May 24, 1966, Ser. No. 552,637. Divided and this application July 24, 1967, Ser. No.

Int. Cl. D04b 9/16 US. Cl. 66-9 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for, and method of, knitting a rib knit woolen cloth capable of being stretched substantially in a walewise direction only and of returning substantially to its original shape when the stretching force is removed. An improved means is provided for laying a locking thread of woolen yarn in the coursewise direction progressively between adjacent rows of loops during the interval of time prior to the drawing of successive loops through the previously formed loops on a circular knitting machine. Means are provided for applying sufiicient tension to the loops and the locking thread to cause the loops to grip the locking thread sufiiciently to impart come-back to the cloth.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 552,637, filed May 24, 1966, as a continuation of application Ser. No. 336,186, filed Jan. 7, 1964, both now abandoned.

This invention relates to knitting, and more particularly to an improved process for knitting cloth, and also the apparatus for carrying out said process.

It is known to make cloth by a so-called knitting process wherein said cloth is formed by manipulation of a single thread or multiple threads into a series of joined loops. It is also known to weave cloth from yarn so that said cloth has little or no elasticity in either the coursewise or walewise direction unless elasticized yarn is used. By contrast, knitted cloth stretches considerably in either a coursewise or walewise direction on account of the opportunity for ready distortion of the network of loops of relatively open form of which knitted cloth is composed.

Attempts have been made to impart stretching properties to woven cloth by weaving it from mixtures of elastic and relatively non-elastic yarns such as nylon and wool respectively. However, such combination cloths have been found to stretch equally readily in two directions, that is, walewise and coursewise.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for knitting cloth which is adapted to stretch preferentially in one direction only and to return substantially to its original form when a stretching force is removed. That is to say, the invention seeks to provide a method and an apparatus for knitting cloth with one-way stretch and adequate come-back. Cloth of this kind is desirable for the construction of garments whose appearance it is desired to maintain in the region of elbows, knees, seats and the like. In particular, the property of one-way stretch with come-back is desirable when the knitted material is wool, although this property is also of advantage in the case of other textile materials.

In accordance with the present invention, therefore, in one of its aspects, a knitted cloth is provided with a locking thread in the coursewise direction, and preferably this thread is lodged progressively between the adja cent rows of previously formed loops in a circular knitting machine employing two rows of hooked needles, by means of a supplementary feeding element, during the intervals of time prior to the drawing of each successive new loop through one of said previously formed loops and thus forming the next course of said knitted cloth.

One particular embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar references indicate corresponding parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows, in plan view, a portion of the stitch-forming mechanism of a circular knitting machine,

FIG. 2 shows, in front elevation, the apparatus of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows, in side elevation, and partly in section along line 3-3 the arrangement of dial and cylinder needles, in their respective beds, within the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2.

'FIG. 4 shows, in front elevation, one arrangement of an auxiliary feeder for inserting a locking thread in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 5 shows, in side elevation, and partly in section, the apparatus of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 shows, in front elevation, a modified form of the feeder shown in FIG. 4,

FIG. 7 shows a detail of the apparatus in FIG. 6, and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing another arrangement of supplementary feeder for inserting a locking thread in accordance with the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, these illustrate so much of a circular knitting machine as is necessary for an understanding of one particular embodiment of the invention. In this machine there are two sets of needles, namely dial needles 1 and cylinder needles 2 set at right angles (or other suitable angles) to each other. As shown, said needles are so-called latch needles located in respective parallel grooved beds 3 and 4, so located with respect to each other that the paths of the needles of the bed 3 cross the paths of the needles of the bed 4 near the hook ends of the needles, with a space 5 for the formed cloth to pass down between the two beds. The needles are cammed, in a longitudinal direction, individually so that their hook ends 6 and 7 may engage with the feeding thread 8 successively, and their shanks 9 and 10 are made as long as necessary to permit their hooks to protrude, and at the same time to allow their butts 11 and 12 to rest on the operating cams 13 and 14 respectively.

Thus, to form conventional loops with the needles, each previously formed loop (at the time when the newly fed thread 8 is engaged by the hook 6 or 7) is on the needle shank somewhat below the open latch. As the needle moves downward (in the case of a cylinder needle) or inward (in the case of a dial needle) with the new thread in its hook, the previously formed loop contacts the open latch, and swings it on its pivot into the closed position so that the previously formed loop can be cast off over the closed hook together with the new thread formed into a loop by the needle hook. Thereafter, this new loop slides down, (or in) thereby opening the latch, H

and by continuing its downward (or inward) movement in response to the action of its cam, the loop finally slides off the lower end of the open latch on to the shank of the needle. The feeder 15 which supplies the thread or threads 8 t the hooks of the needles is thus passed by needle after needle, permitting the formation of loops as above described, until each course is completed, and the feeding motion is continuous and unidirectional owing to the fact that the members 16 and 17 are stationary and the beds 3 and 4 rotate, in unison, with respect to said members so that the butts 11 and 12 of the respective needles of each bed co-act with their associated cam-tracks 13 and 14 which reside in said stationary members.

If no further modification of the above process'is made, the resulting cloth possesses elasticity in both the walewise and coursewise directions owing to the fact that the loops in the walewise threads, when distorted, are urged to return to an approximately circular shape, whereas the kinks in the coursewise thread are urged to straighten from their distorted or substantially zig-zag shape.

In accordance with the invention, a supplementary feeder 18 (that is, in addition to the feeder which supplies the main thread 8) is adapted to insert a locking thread 19 in the coursewise direction as each course is formed. This supplementary feeder is so positioned that it lays the locking thread behind each needle hook of one row of needles, where it cannot be engaged next by either the hook or the latch of a particular needle. The locking thread is also located so that it lies behind the other row of nee dles, and hence it is adapted to be inserted progressively between adjacent rows of coursewise loops. As the cams 13 and 14 raise the successive needles to form a new course, the locking thread 19 is imprisoned beneath the successively formed new loops, and this process is continuous and unidirectional by virtue of the fact that the region 20 of the cam track 13, and the region 21 of the cam track 14, cause a suitable disposition of the needles in the proximity of the supplementary feeder. This ensures that the needles opposite the regions 20 and 21 are withdrawn before the thread 19 is fed in between the loops, and that said needles are then moved out, in the direction of their hooks, to trap the thread. It is essential that the angle of the cam tracks 13 and 14 should be steep near the regions 20 and 21, so that the needles are caused to move quickly and trap the thread 19 effectively. For this reason, the invention is best put into effect on circular knitting machines rather than flat-bed knitting machines, since the latter machines, which must necessarily be adapted to permit feeders to oscillate backwards and forwards, cannot have cam track angles greater than approximately 45, and hence their needles cannot trap a locking thread as effectively as in the case of circular knitting machines such as that described above.

The supplementary feeder may have various forms. For example, it may comprise a simple guide ferrule as shown at 18 in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, or it may comprise a rotating brush 22, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, which lays the locking thread into the V-shaped gap between the dial and cylinder needles, just prior to the completion of a stitch by a respective needle from each set. In order to install the locking thread in place more effectively, in the case of the rotating brush type feeder, a suitably ferrule or guide 23 of porcelain or other smooth material is provided to urge the thread into position under the brush. In another modification of the supplementary feeder, as shown at 24 in FIGS. 6 and 7, a backing piece 25 for the helical spring 26 holds said spring rigidly so that the concave nozzle 27 is relatively rigid in the plane of the paper in FIG. 7, to ensure that the thread 19 is held down in the space 5, but nevertheless allows flexibility in other directions so that the needles are not damaged if they hit the feeder 24.

The supplementary feeder illustrated by FIG. 8 is similar to that of FIG. 4 except for the replacement of the brush 22 by a wheel 28 having a square-toothed periphery. The wheel 28 is caused to rotate in synchronism with the needle movement so that a space between two teeth is in alignment with each needle as it moves into or across the plane of the wheel 28. Such synchronous operation may be achieved simply by having the tooth pitch such as to correspond to the needle pitch so that the needles and/ or the knitted fabric act as a rack causing rotation of the wheel.

Whichever form of supplementary feeder is used, a suitable device for tensioning the locking thread 19 is preferably provided, such as that shown at 28 in FIGS. 1 and 2. This device comprises a nut 29, a spring 30, a loose washer 31 and a fixed washer 32. Rotation of the nut 29 thus adjusts the extent to which the locking thread 19 is squeezed between the washers 31 and 32, and hence the tension with which this thread is pulled down and gripped between adjacent rows of weft loops.

The supplementary feeder of FIGS. 6 and 7 is particularly adapted for use for fine work using little threads and in such cases it is preferable for the locking thread tensioner to be of a known weight-controlled kind wherein the tension is set by the addition of one or more weights upon an upright spindle bearing upon the uppermost washer of a pair of washers corresponding to washers 31 and 32.

It has been found that when made in accordance with the invention above described, a knitted cloth is formed in which a continuous locking thread lying in the coursewise direction inhibits the capacity of the cloth to stretch in the coursewise direction, but has little or no effect on the ability of the cloth to stretch in the walewise direction, and any stretching which does occur in the lastmentioned direction is accompanied by come-back, thus providing a satisfactory temporary one-way stretch for use in the construction of garments or the like.

Where, in the above description, latch needles are mentioned, bearded needles could of course be used if finer stitching is required.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that with very little modification the apparatus according to the invention described above may be readily applied to rotating cam box knitting machines in which the needle beds remain stationary but the needles are caused to oscillate by a rotating cam. The locking thread would be fed to the needles just prior to the feed-in of the main thread. Accordingly the term circular knitting machine as used in the following claims includes rotating cam box machines.

It is to be understood that apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention, although particularly useful for the formation of cloth from woolen yarn, is also adapted for the formation of cloth from all natural and synthetic yarns.

What is claimed is:

1. A circular knitting apparatus for knitting a rib knit woolen cloth capable of being stretched substantially in a walewise direction only and of returning substantially to its original shape when the stretching force is removed, yarn feed means, dial and cylinder needles having hooks thereon for forming yarn into loops, supplementary feeder means for inserting a substantially inelastic locking thread in the coursewise direction of said cloth during the intervals of time prior to the drawing of each successive loop through a previously formed loop, and cam means mounted in proximity to said supplementary feeder in position to engage butts on said needles to withdraw the respective needles before said locking thread is inserted between said loops and then move the needles in the direction of the hooks of said needles to grip said locking thread, said supplementary feeder including means for tensioning said locking thread prior to the insertion thereof between said loops and a concave nozzle assembly adapted to bear upon said locking thread so as to urge it between the dial and cylinder needles, said concave nozzle assembly including a resilient spring element to permit dis- Weber 66-200 XR Weisbecker. Morin 66-9 Ford 66'--9 Miller et al 6612 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain. Italy.

Great Britain. Germany. France. France. Switzerland. France.

WM. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

placement thereof when struck by said dial or said cylin- 2,151,879 3/ 1939 der needles, said supplementary feeder further including 2,218,977 10/ 1940 a rigid backing member engaging said nozzle and pre- 2,256,525 9/1941 venting displacement thereof by said locking thread to 2,289,492 7/1942 assure that said locking thread is held between said 5 2,311,119 2/1943 dial and cylinder needles.

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